General Article Admit it, older people – you are addicted to your phones, too

Topic Selected: Social Media
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Over-reliance on mobiles isn’t just the scourge of the young, and it has a damaging effect on families.

By Sophia Ankel

My mother likes to sit with her legs crossed on the sofa, glasses balanced on her nose, while she scrolls through her iPhone. I don’t know whether she is commenting on a friend’s family photo album, crushing candy or liking a meme with the caption: ‘Tonight’s forecast: 99% chance of wine’, but I do know that this is not the first time I catch her like this. My father opts for the ‘I’ll be with you shortly’ line, which he delivers with a very serious look on his face as he aggressively taps away on his phone. I have learned by now that this is my cue to leave him alone for the next 10 minutes. As much as they don’t like admitting it, both of my parents are just as addicted to their phones as I am.

 

Growing up, we are constantly reminded that young people are the demographic most affected by technology. We are the ‘antisocial social club’, those who prefer to text o...

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